Alvar Aalto's Paimio

The Paimio Chair (also known as Chair 41), designed by Finnish designer Alvar Aalto in 1931, is one of the icons of furniture design and a Stardust Staff Pick.
The Paimio armchair is one of the most beautiful chairs designed by
Alvar Aalto. Its lightness and structural genius are without compare.
Admired as much for its sculptural presence as for its comfort, the
Paimio Chair by Alvar Aalto is a tour de force in bentwood that seems to
test the limits of plywood manufacturing. The chair's framework
consists of two closed loops of laminated wood, forming arms, legs, and
floor runners, between which rides the seat-a thin sheet of plywood
tightly bent at both top and bottom into sinuous scrolls, giving it
greater resiliency. Inspired by Marcel Breuer's tubular-steel Wassily
Chair of 1927-28, Aalto chose, instead, native birch for its natural
feel and insulating properties, and developed a more organic form.Made
in Finland by Artek with an
uncompromising approach to craftsmanship. Available from Stardust with Free Shipping and a Low Price Guarantee.

The Paimio Chair, the best-known piece of furniture designed by Alvar Aalto, was named for the town in southwestern Finland for which Aalto designed a sanatorium and all its furnishings. Used in the patients' lounge, the angle of the back of this armchair was intended to help sitters breathe more easily.

Alvar Aalto's bentwood furniture had a great influence on the American designers Charles and Ray Eames and the Finnish-born Eero Saarinen. In 1935 the Artek company was established in Finland to produce and distribute wood furniture designed by Aalto and his wife, Aino Aalto.